Despite Foxconn troubles, Apple "unlikely" to change supplier

Industry sources suggest Apple will not cease its manufacturing business arrangement with Foxconn, even as questions over the Chinese company's alleged interrogation tactics continue to mount.

Citing Taiwanese sources, DigiTimes said speculation that Apple would end its partnership with Foxconn is unlikely to come to pass.

"Players from the component sector said such a change is unlikely to happen because product development involves collaboration on technologies that cannot be easily transferred to other makers," the report states.

This as allegations have surfaced that Apple investigated complaints about Foxconn well before the alleged suicide of a 25-year-old Chinese man last week. According to eWeek, Apple audited Foxconn in 2006 after reports surfaced in a British newspaper about supposed poor working conditions in the Chinese factories.

This month, the company's foreign factories came under fire again, as a new investigation found that 45 of the 83 factories that built iPhones and iPods in 2008 weren't paying valid overtime rates, and 23 weren't even paying some of their workers China's minimum wage.

Sun Danyong allegedly killed himself after a prototype he was responsible for — reportedly a fourth-generation iPhone — went missing. Prior to his death, friends said he told them he was subjected to "unbearable interrogation techniques" by Foxconn employees, leading some to believe he was beaten. Sun reportedly had his property seized and was held in solitary confinement before he jumped from a 12-story building last week.

As the story began to spread, Apple issued a response.

"We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death," an Apple spokesperson said. "We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect."

Chinese newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily, as relayed by DigiTimes, said Foxconn has reached a settlement with the family of Sun. The paper said it obtained closed-circuit TV footage of Sun's interviews, but stated there was no indication that he was beaten.

Changing the supplier will not make a difference. Putting some non-Chinese Apple staff into the factory 24/7 and running an independent complaint center, instead of relying on annual spot-checks might...

Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry) is said to have reached a preliminary agreement with the family of an engineer who is believed to have killed himself after losing a prototype unit of Apple's next-generation iPhone.

The Southern Metropolis Daily which first reported the death of engineer, Sun Danyong, at Foxconn's massive manufacturing base in Shenzhen, China did not indicate the terms of the agreement.

But the paper said Sun's body was already cremated on July 22.

Apple, which has Foxconn make many of its products at the Shenzhen base, has confirmed the death of the engineer, and an Apple spokesperson in Hong Kong has been cited by the Associated Press as saying that "We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect."

The remark is apparently a response to allegations that Sun had been mistreated and even beaten by managers investigating the loss of the device.

The Southern Metropolis Daily on July 23 said it had obtained CCTV footage of the interviews where Sun was questioned by managers, but there was no indication in the footage that the engineer was beaten.

But the news has failed to convince skeptics, the paper said, citing some readers as questioning whether the footage could really clear Foxconn of the beating allegations.

Some other readers said the case highlighted Foxconn's alleged violation of human rights by searching the engineer's dormitory room for the lost device.

Some questions may never be answered, such as what really drove the engineer to kill himself, or how the device was lost. And Apple is unlikely to confirm what actually was lost.

The body has been cremated......already. There goes the chance for an independent autopsy. A settlement with his family? How much was the kid's life worth I wonder.....a year's worth of rice to feed the family?
They are really trying hard to sweep this one under the rug huh? Where is the justice?
Will the tablet help people forget about this? Mactouch ftw.....not.

Here is the article:
The body has been cremated......already. There goes the chance for an independent autopsy. A settlement with his family? How much was the kid's life worth I wonder.....a year's worth of rice to feed the family? They are really trying hard to sweep this one under the rug huh? Where is the justice? Will the tablet help people forget about this? Mactouch ftw.....not.

Whatever. There's an investigation. And all the factories are the same. If the factory broke any laws... then Apple is responsible to take measures to fix things. But they didn't push the kid out the window.

Whatever. There's an investigation. And all the factories are the same. If the factory broke any laws... then Apple is responsible to take measures to fix things. But they didn't push the kid out the window.

They might as well have. And those Foxconn bastards sure as hell did! If those are the types of people Apple insists on doing buisness with then they are accessories to murder! How the hell am I supposed to bring myself to purchase future Apple products knowing this?

They might as well have. And those Foxconn bastards sure as hell did! If those are the types of people Apple insists on doing buisness with then they are accessories to murder! How the hell am I supposed to bring myself to purchase future Apple products knowing this?

Well said. It is refreshing to see someone hold Apple accountable for such things unlike most of the people on this forum that worship at the Apple and Jobs altar!

Yesterday another "famous person" commented on the stupidity of the cops for their LEGAL actions when taunted by a an irrational black racist, & now we similarly have comments on the horrible behavior of Foxconn. The video of the interrogation of the suicidal employee showed NO beating yet the commenters still insist that he was beaten. I'm not defending Apple or Foxconn, but at least let the facts come out before you cast aspersions on people you might happen to not like.

Do you ask yourself that question while gazing at your reflection in your glossy screen Mac?

I don't own a mac. I own a 2nd gen ipod touch and a ipod nano and that's all. The music I have has been mostly bought at amazon and some old .mp3s ripped from CDs from years back.
I've been eyeing Apple for a couple years now wondering whether I should buy a mac. PC gaming keeps me from buying one and the uneasiness I feel sometimes over Apple's draconian control approach to computing.
This situation now sure as hell isn't helping.

Changing the supplier will not make a difference. Putting some non-Chinese Apple staff into the factory 24/7 and running an independent complaint center, instead of relying on annual spot-checks might...

That might not be an option. Remember that this is a factory in another country, with its own laws etc. Apple has to follow those laws. They can't just demand putting their people in factories and such and get it because they want it. the hoops, regulations etc might make it impossible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takeo

Whatever. There's an investigation. And all the factories are the same. If the factory broke any laws... then Apple is responsible to take measures to fix things.

Again, this is another country, one where Apple doesn't have extreme power. even here in the US there is little the company can do on its own. it has to work with and within our laws.

Also, there seems to be a lack of evidence that the young man was beaten and the verbiage used is highly inflammatory. Illegal Search, Solitary Confinement, Detained. the use of the phrase dormitory room begs the question, who owned it and what 'landlord' privileges existed (is it possible that the employer owned said room and the right to search it was in the deal). Isolating the young man from anyone else while the room was being searched and while questioning to keep him from passing information to a partner isn't that far fetched etc. and there are even differing stories about the timeline, when the missing item was discovered and where. One version makes it sound like he found the error and reported it 4 days later, another that he sent the package and one was missing when it got to the US 4 days later and he never said a word (sure would look like he was guilty of something if he signed they were all in the box and sealed it himself).

The only easy to agree item is that the company should have called the police and turned him over to them for all the questioning etc. Not handled it 'in house' as it seems they were. But it is possible that they were a tad embarrassed and worried that in fact Apple could pull the contract or least not renew it and cost them a small fortune. Word got out on them in the end but the motives behind not calling the cops might not have been as Mafia as the papers are painting it.

and until all those issues are settled, I"m not screaming 'off with their heads' on anyone. Foxconn or Apple. I'm saving that for when we have the actual facts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olternaut

and the uneasiness I feel sometimes over Apple's draconian control approach to computing.

All tech companies try to keep what they are working on a secret. Apple is no different. As for the restricted hardware, they provide company trained tech support. much of it for free to the customers. if they opened things up to every possible configuration, they couldn't do that support. and it would make eliminating bugs and such a lot harder than it is now.

if you don't like either issue, don't agree with it, etc. then don't buy a mac.